From the opening moments, guitarist Forest Bathing by Stevin McNamara immerses you with a sense of the sweet, pure experience of being close to nature. Its subtle, relaxed guitar, entwined with birdsong and acoustic sounds, elegantly evokes the serenity and pleasure one feels in a forest, in the mountains, or by the sea – aspiring to capture a connection to the healing force awaiting us when we get away from the city to a place where Mother Earth exudes her beauty. "Amidst the stress of the modern world, our inner self is starving to reconnect to a higher place," says McNamara. "This whole album was achieved by tuning in to that vibration and expressing it musically."

McNamara's inspiration is his love for the music of northern India, structuring his distinctive guitar compositions after traditional raga forms. Raga means "that which colors the mind," and each raga has a primary rasa or mood e.g., joy, peace, tranquility, longing for the Divine – all familiar to us when experiencing intimacy with nature, as in Japan's "Shinrin yoku" (forest bathing).

With only organic instruments - nylon string and 12-string guitar, bowls, bowed guitar, chimes, bells, and percussion – he recorded using A=432 Hz tuning instead of the usual A=440Hz, creating a deeper, more focused and relaxed listening experience.